What I Like About You
by RedRiverValley
Summary: One-Shot. Yuri. When things at a cooking lesson go arwy, Sakura's true feelings for Ino come out, with unexpected consequences, and Ino's not sure if the things she wants to say will ever be able to be said. And there is a lot to be said. "I like you..."


**So, I know it's terrible to start up a new story when I've got two on the go already, but I had an idea bouncing around in my head for a one…maybe two shot. So I'm writing this before it escapes me. Also I saw that movie "New Years Eve" (AWWEEESSSOOOME) so I was feeling romantic. And my computer is broken so I'm being all super sneaky stealth typing this at school. Also, I know nothing about hospitals, so if anything is inaccurate, I'm sorry. My longest thing I've ever uploaded. Holy crap. **

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><p>"Hey, can I ask you a question?" I heard Ino ask from across the kitchen. I wiped tears out of my eyes and struggled with the task at hand.<p>

"Sure," I responded with a sniffle. "But can you help me out with something first?" Ino laughed.

I always hated crying. I was never a crying kind of person. Something about the pathetic sniveling that followed suit from the endless amount of bodily fluids trying to escape my face was just not appealing. I wondered why I had ever agreed to this. Sometimes, I hated how persuasive Ino could be.

"Are the onions getting to you?" She asked, and being the savior she was, took the cutting board of onions away from me. I shot her a grateful look.

"I hate chopping onions. With a passion," I grumbled, blowing my nose and wiping tears out of my eyes. Ino laughed again, and ran her hands under cold water.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I asked accusingly.

"I'm running my hands under cold water. So the onions don't make me cry too. The last thing we need is two teenage girls in the kitchen wielding knives and having tears blind them." She said simply. I stared at her open mouthed.

"And it didn't occur to you to share this little piece of information with me while I was struggling to chop those onions a couple seconds ago? I could've cut my fingers off!" I exclaimed incredulously. Ino shrugged and looked at me coyly.

"Nah. Watching you struggle was too much fun." Ino turned her back to me, and put the onions in the frying pan that was sitting on the stove. I stuck my tongue out at her and grabbed a celery stick.

"Don't think I didn't see that, Sakura." She said.

"I thought you had a question to ask me," I grumbled, popping the celery in my mouth and hopping up onto the counter. That was definitely something I loved about Ino's kitchen. Chairs were for floozies, everyone just hopped up onto the counter top to eat.

"Do you…I mean…" Ino hesitated, as if unsure of herself. I felt a pang of nervousness flare through me. Calm, collected, confidant Ino was never unsure. It just didn't happen; it denied all laws of Physics and life itself.

"Do you remember the conversation we had a couple weeks back?" I froze mid-chew, the celery suddenly tasting like cardboard in my mouth. It was hard not to remember.

I had been on the phone with Ino, helping her study for a Math unit test that was coming up, but knowing us, no studying was actually being done. She had asked me who I liked. Simple enough question except for the fact I felt I was about to go into cardiac arrest. I had been completely head over heels for Ino since eighth grade, which, us graduating this year, was a really long time. I was just so sick of hiding, sick of being hurt by her every single day because she didn't know. Nobody knew, and I was tired. If I couldn't be myself with my best friend of 6 years, then what did that say about me? I owed her the honest truth, no more lying. So I told her. And that's when we started studying.

Ever since, there's been a sort of awkward tension between us. Or at least there is on my end. It seems as if Ino has been going on like nothing has ever happened. Acting like I didn't pour out my heart and soul to her, like she hasn't been breaking my heart for almost 5 years now. So for her to bring it up now, after a couple weeks was…odd.

I swallowed thickly.

"'Course. What about it?" I said in an even, calculating tone. Ino paused amongst the cooking.

"Um, I was just…curious. As to what exactly it was that you liked. I mean…about me…" She finished. I paused, mulling over her request.

"Er…well…" I stared. I wasn't really sure how to go about answering this question.

"Uh. You have nice hair?" Ino shot me a look over her shoulder.

"If that's your only collateral, you are a very shallow person. Besides, my hair isn't even nice. It's fantastic," She replied.

"Well. You're smart, funny; incredibly witty, with a slightly morbid sense of humor. But I like that," I said with a smile. Just like that, I couldn't stop. The words kept flowing forth, like a river finally breaking free of dam that had been there forever.

"I like the way you look in the morning, hair a mess and sticking to your forehead, droopy eyed, and all. I think it's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I like how whenever you eat chocolate pudding, you manage to get it all over your face, even at seventeen. I like how you twist your hair when you're thinking; I like how you sometimes look at me and smile as if I'm the only person in the world that matters. I like how I get to see that side of you that no one else sees. I like how you blush when you're nervous, how you love to read. Not even magazines, you read actual, substantial books. I even like how you manage to find a new way to break my heart every single day because I love you so much, I'll never do a thing to stop it," I finished, a crooked sort of smile on my face. I looked up to see Ino staring at me with an odd mixture of emotions on her face I couldn't read. The smell of burning onions began to fill the air, but Ino appeared not to notice.

I sighed, hopping off of the counter. The clock read 8:00 pm. Definitely overstayed my welcome.

"Thanks for the cooking lesson, but I think I'd better leave. Besides, your onions are burning," Finally snapping back to reality, Ino began cursing vehemently while turning down the heat on the ovens and opening up several windows. Taking her distraction as my cue, I got up and began making my way to the door. The sound of my footsteps crunching in the snow and ice was the only sound heard in the desolate street. I didn't even realize that I was crying until I reached for my car door handle and missed. I sat in my car, shivering violently from the minus thirty degree weather. That, and the sobs that wracked my body.

_Stupid, stupid. Why the hell would you answer her? You just condemned your relationship to hell! _I thought miserably to myself. I started the car, and Micheal Buble's version of all "All I Want For Christmas Is You" came on the radio. Angrily, I punched the off button, and buried my face in my hands. Delicate little flakes of snow fell through the night sky. They were oddly comforting, the way that there falling was constant and even; Every flake falling at exactly the same rate.

Wiping enough tears from my face to see, I pulled out of Ino's driveway, and pulled onto the highway. The road was icy, and I felt my tires slip slightly on the slick road, not the best driving conditions. I didn't really care. I just wanted to go home, and go hide under my Glee bedcovers. I didn't see the car trying to merge in front of me until I was right behind it, going way faster than the speed limit recommended. I put on the brakes rather hard, and felt the steering wheel start to move erratically. Panic, hot and icy at the same time, shot through me as I tried to correct the steering, but it wasn't working. My back tires were fishtailing all over the icy highway and I spun to a stop in the middle of the road. Catching my breath, I looked around and saw another car, heading straight towards mine. I could see the frenzied horror in the driver's eyes as he tried to apply his brakes to avoid hitting me, but I knew it wouldn't work, he was too close, and going around 120 kilometers per hour. Faintly, I wondered who he was. If he had a family, who his friends were, what his life was like. What it would be like after. I closed my eyes, heard a loud crash, felt glass slice at my skin, and knew no more.

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><p>Ino sat on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She was still trying to wrap her mind around what Sakura had said. She had no idea that she had felt that way. She couldn't help but feel like a terrible person for not knowing how much she was hurting the single most important person to her. That being said, she can't say that she really didn't know that Sakura had more than friends feelings for her. Hadn't it been obvious? The way she would walk her to every class, the way her eyes locked with hers in that intense way that showed every emotion Sakura was feeling at that moment. The looks that sent shivers down Ino's back. Hell, even in the way she talked she wore her heart on her sleeve. Ino now saw how much meaning Sakura put behind every compliment, every departing "luv you" every touch, everything. And it scared the living crap out of her to know that one person felt so much for her.<p>

She had no idea why she ever doubted Sakura's feelings for one second, when hers were exactly the same, just hidden under years of practice and mountains of fear and uncertainty. And now, more than ever, she was wishing that she had run after Sakura when she left, and told her everything.

Carly Rae Jepsen broke her out of her reverie as her cell phone broke into her song "Call Me Maybe." Ino glanced at her clock. It was two in the morning. Who the hell would be calling at this time? She looked at the screen to see a number she didn't recognize. She shrugged, and let it ring, collapsing back onto her bed. After about two minutes, her phone rang again, with the same number. Curious, Ino flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Ino! Thank god you picked up," Came a panicked voice from the other side of the line. Ino recognized it too, it was Sakura's mother.

"Mrs. Haruno? Why are you calling me so late? Where are you even calling from?" Ino asked. She knew Sakura's house number by heart, and the one that lit up her phone screen wasn't it.

"I'm calling from the hospital. I left so quickly, I left my phone at home," Ino paused, as her words began to sink in.

"The hospital…Why? Are you alright?" Ino asked, feeling sick. She had a feeling that Mrs. Haruno wasn't the one who was hurt. She just _knew. _

"I'm fine. It's Sakura. She was in a car accident on her way home…on the highway…and…" Her voice cracked. Ino froze, barely knowing what to say. Sakura lived out of town, and took the highway frequently. She knew that sometimes the road conditions were less than favorable. She never would have driven home in that weather, so there had to be a mistake.

_Sakura's really absolutely fine. She stopped over at a motel or something to spend the night. Mrs. Haruno just got worried and jumped to conclusions is all, _Ino tried to tell herself, but it wasn't working. She had that empty, gnawing feeling in her gut that something was seriously wrong. Ino paused, hardly daring to ask the question, but knowing she had to.

"No, there has to be a mistake. Sakura wouldn't….she's too…." Ino swallowed past the lump forming in her throat. She took a deep breath.

"Is she alright?" Ino finally asked quietly.

_Of course she's alright, stupid. She'll be just fine. _Ino tried again. She refused to believe anything could happen to Sakura when she was just a short time ago. She heard Mrs. Haruno blow her nose over the line.

"She's in the intensive care unit. Her car spun out, and another one came behind it and smacked right into her side." Ino took in a sharp gasp. Okay, maybe she wasn't okay. But she would be soon.

"…And?" Ino urged. If anything was to happen to Sakura, especially after what had transpired in her kitchen a few hours ago, she would never be able to live it down. She should have run after her. She should have told her to stay. She should have held her in her arms and told her everything was going to be okay, because it was, because Ino would have made it okay for her. She should have told her everything that was going through her mind while she was talking, how her words made her heart soar right out of her chest. And now she feared she might never get a chance to.

"She's been through some reconstructive surgery to her torso, and….well, she's currently in a coma. The doctors have no idea when she'll wake up, if..if she wakes at all. But…She kept saying your name. I-I didn't know what else to do. I'm hoping if she…I don't know…maybe hears your voice, she'll come back to us. Please, Ino. I didn't know who else to call" She could hear the desperation in Mrs. Haruno's voice, but that didn't mean anything. She was already starting her car.

"I'll be there in ten minutes,"

Ino never was a fan of hospitals. The smell of antiseptic was overwhelming and assaulting, and it was way too cheery, considering it was the intensive care unit. This was the part of the hospital where you only came if you were seriously sick. The pastel pinks and baby boy blues tried to give off a safe atmosphere, but all it did for Ino was reinforce the reason she was actually here.

_Sakura…._

She almost got into an accident herself on her drive over. Speed limits were for people who didn't have shit to do. Practically running down the hallway, she almost plowed straight into Mrs. Haruno as she rounded a corner.

She was a wreck. Her eyes were red and puffy, her bright copper hair was scraggly, and her clothes rumpled, as if she had been sitting in hospital chair for the past 4 hours. Which she probably has been.

_Sakura… _

"Thank you so much for coming, Ino," She said, and Ino just nodded, not really trusting her voice at the moment. She couldn't imagine what Mrs. Haruna had gone through. Waiting, by herself. Sakura's dad had bailed on them when she was two, so she really wasn't lying when she said she didn't know who else to call. There wasn't anyone else to call.

"She's just in there," She said pointing to a door. Ino nodded again, and took a couple steps towards the door but stopped halfway. Without even thinking about it, Ino turned and enveloped Mrs. Haruno in a huge bear hug.

"Thank you," Mrs. Haruno said softly. Ino nodded once more, and pulled away. She took a deep breath and walked into the hospital room. A head of bubblegum pink hair stood out exuberantly on the crisp, white, hospital sheets. Her face was lined with small, delicate cuts, and Ino drew in a breath. She looked so pale and frail. She collapsed into a chair next to the bed, and let the first of her tears fall. This was actually happening. Sakura was actually hurt. Hurt bad. And there was nothing Ino could do about it.

Ino was always the one to help Sakura feel better, right back to the seventh grade. Ino was the it girl, sitting in a new school, a new classroom, and already surrounded by a posse of groupies. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was a coincidence, but a flash of bright pink had caught her eye. She turned to see a timid looking girl lingering just outside the classroom door, crazy bangs hanging down and covering half her face. Ino walked over, giving her a critical once over. The girl looked terrified out of her living wits.

"I have just the thing for you," She had said, digging around in her knapsack. And long last, she drew out a long, red ribbon. The girl eyed it apprehensively.

"Hold still," Ino said, drawing her tongue in between her teeth in concentration as she fixed the girls hair up with the ribbon. She then drew out a small compact and flipped it open to show the girl her craftsmanship.

"Well? What d'ya think?" Ino said proudly. The girl's jaw hit the ground.

"How…how did you do that? It looks awesome!" A look of glee was now displayed on the girl's face. Ino shrugged.

"What can I say, I have a talent. What do they call you, anyways?" The girl drew her emerald eyes away from her reflection to fix on Ino's blue ones. Ino froze. She didn't realize how green this girl's eyes were. Clear and crisp, like Ireland in the summer, but warm, and full of friendliness, hidden behind a layer of nervousness.

"Sakura," She said sheepishly. Ino grinned.

"How fitting. Sakura," Ino tried the name out on her tongue.

"I like it," From then on, Ino and Sakura were inseparable. Whenever someone would antagonize Sakura on the color of her hair, Ino was always right there behind her to put them right in their place. Even when that scared little girl inside Sakura melted away to show the strong, confident, amazing girl she really was, Ino would always be there, unconditionally.

But there was nothing she could do for her now. Now, all she could do was hope, and pray that Sakura would wake, and that she would be okay. But somehow, that didn't seem enough. Turning her head to the side, Ino saw a couple sheets of paper with the Hospitals name on it, and a pen. And suddenly a brilliant, and slightly insane idea came to her. She crossed the room, put the pen to paper, and began to write.

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><p>I let out a groan as Ino's lips slid across mine. This is all I'd wanted for so long, and it was happening , now. She was so close. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer, but suddenly, she was gone. I opened my eyes to find my arms full of air. I looked around my bedroom, and saw her in the corner, reaching for me. Crying.<p>

"Sakura…Please…just wake up…" I could see the tears coursing down her face. I got up and stood right in front of her.

"Ino. Ino! I'm right here! Right here Ino!" I said, but she didn't see me. Or couldn't see me.

"Sakura! Saku, can you hear me? Saku! C'mon, wake up!"

"Ino!" But then the dream began to fade, and blackness leaving the sound of Ino's voice bouncing around my head.

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><p>White. That's all I could see, was white. Everywhere. It was sharp, blinding, and painful. I blinked a couple of times, and things began to come into focus. A bouquet of flowers. Actually, a couple bouquets, littered the room everywhere. The smell of antiseptic was evident, even through the aroma of the flowers, and course, scratchy bed sheets irritated my skin. And I was <em>hungry.<em> A light beeping sound caught my attention, and I turned my head to the side to see a heart monitor beeping in time to my pulse.

_I'm in a hospital…but…why…? _I tried to sit up, but a flash of pain coursed through me from my ribs. Lying back down, I turned to view my room, and paused. Lying asleep on a bench near the window, was Ino. And everything that happened crashed over me like a tidal wave. The fight, the accident, car headlights in my face….

I heard my pulse quicken on the monitor, and forced myself to calm the hell down.

_Breathe in, breathe out, it's okay. You're okay. At the hospital, not in a car. _I tried to calm, but closing my eyes, I could still see the guys face frozen in fear, hear the sound of metal smashing metal, feel the glass slashing at my face as if it was paper…

I suppressed a shudder and focused on breathing. Looking to the bedside table, I saw a stack of papers covered in slanted, cursive writing. Ino's writing. Curiosity got the best of me, and I grabben the stack, ignoring the screams of protest my ribs gave. I guessed they were probably seriously bruised, if not broken. Settling back into my bed, I read over the first sheet.

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><p>Dec. 20<p>

Writing this seems kinda funny with you lying in a bed next to me. If I was honest, I feel like it was my fault that you're lying there. I should have run after you. I should have told you everything I was thinking at the moment. But I didn't. And now I'm scared I never will. So I am going to make it my goal that for every day you're lying in that miserable bed, I will let you know just how special you are, just how lovely you are, and just what I like about you.

Number One: I like how you can quote Shakespeare. Do you remember when we went to go see a Midsummer's Night Dream? You kept leaning over and whispering lines from the play to me, as the actors said them. And I loved every minute of it. Shall I compare thee to a midsummer's day? Thou art more lovely, and more temperate.

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><p>I froze, not really comprehending the words that were written there. I knew she wrote it. There was no denying that was Ino's writing. But it didn't make sense. None of it did. Turning to the second page, my eyes scanned the page hungrily.<p>

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><p>Dec. 21<p>

Number Two: Blackjack Day. This may amuse you. I hope it does. I like how whenever you see the number twenty one, you say blackjack, just like in the commercial. I like how that makes it impossible to listen to Adele with you because you're too busy saying blackjack over the album cover like the adorable little idiot you are to actually listen to the songs. Please wake up, Sakura.

Dec. 22

Number Three: I like how musically inclined you are. I love how when you sing a song, you put every ounce of every emotion you have into it. Even when you hit a wrong note, you do it with such grace I barely notice, because you're so lost in your song, you don't care. Every note you play is delivered with so much passion, it breaks my heart, because I was never able to show you that same passion I have for you.

Dec 23

Number 4: I like how you actually care about how you do in school. Most teenagers don't give a damn. Even I really don't care much for acing math, I just care about passing. But you manage to maintain a 4.0 GPA all throughout high school. You're gonna go far in life once you wake up. I just know it. I just hope you take me with you. Because I think I love you.

Dec. 24

Number 5: I haven't left here in 4 days. I need to shower. I think the nurse purposely doesn't check in as often because I smell. Even the roses are wilting. But if you wake up as soon as I leave, I'm gonna be pissed. Because that would suck. I like how you always have some witty comeback to any bull shit that might come your way. I remember that mousy, scared looking girl lingering outside Mr. Iruka's math class afraid to come in, and show off those beautiful green eyes. That girl is gone, and replaced with someone who's not afraid to give people a piece of her mind. I like that.

Dec. 25

Number 6: I like how you pretend not to be fazed by the hype that surrounds Christmas. I know you really get just as caught up in the magic as everyone else. But it's cute that you try. I asked Santa for you to wake up today, which I guess enforces the fact he doesn't exist. I even went home and showered. I brought you your Christmas gift. So if you wake up with a chain around your neck, it didn't spontaneously show up. I hope you like it. I miss you.

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><p>My hand flew up to my neck. True to her word, there hung a small gold chain with the most beautiful charm I'd ever seen. It was a knot, embedded with diamonds that shone too bright to be fake. It must have cost a fortune. There were at least 20 more pages, which made Sakura wonder just how long she had been out.<p>

"You weren't supposed to read those…." A voice made Sakura jump. She looked up to see Ino staring at her intently. She didn't even know she was awake. How long had she been watching her like that?

"…then why were they there?" I said, and cleared my voice. It was really rough, and scratchy. Then again, I suppose it hadn't been used in a while. Ino took a deep breath.

"Because I kinda hoped you would. But you're not really awake. I'm dreaming again," She gave a bitter laugh.

"Ino. Ino, stop crying." Ino looked up at me, and her face changed.

"You…you really are awake. Your awake. Your awake!" Ino laughed, a large grin practically splitting her face in half. She jumped out of the chair and gave me a bone crushing hug. Literally.

"OW! Ino goddammit, LET GO THAT HURTS!" I yelled. She leaned back and looked at me.

"Sorry. It's been a while." She said, sitting on my bed with me.

"…What…what day is it today?" Ino's eyebrows crinkled.

"Oh my god. It's the 14th," She said, looking out the window.

"Of January?" I probed further. Ino looked at me with a half gleeful, half sad look on her face.

"February. Valentines Day," I sucked in a breath.

"That's…almost two months…" I said. She nodded.

"I have got impeccable timing, don't I?" I said with a grin.

"I've been here every day." She said with a slightly bashful grin. I wrinkled my nose.

"Yeah, I can smell that," She grinned a smile too big for words, blue eyes sparkling in the weak spring light that was filtering through the windows. It was snowing when I crashed.

" There's a lot of these papers," I said, fiddling with the stack on my lap. Ino flushed.

"One for every day…"She said, playing with the hem of my blanket.

"Do you really mean the things you wrote?" I asked. Ino looked me square in the eye.

"Every word." I nodded, putting the stack of papers back on the bedside table. I then grabbed the front of Ino's shirt and slammed her lips against mine. Hell, what did I have to lose? I just came out of a coma. I felt her relax under my hands, and lean into the kiss, and I thought I might burst. Which would suck with a couple of bruised ribs. She pulled back, breathing heavily.

"Woah," Was all she said. I laughed, and pressed my forehead against hers.

"Do you…remember if you dreamt at all? While you were…" she trailed off. I pulled back.

"…why?" Ino giggled.

"Cuz you kept saying my name. Over. And over. I'm pretty sure you even moaned it once." A memory of Ino in my room flashed through my mind, and I blushed.

"Nope, nothing." I said with a wink. Ino giggled again.

"You're a pervert." She said, and kissed me again.

"You have no proof of that…" I mumbled against her lips. She just giggled again and kissed me harder.

"Hey Ino, I hear talking is…" I jerked away from Ino to see my mom standing in the doorway, a cup of coffee in her hand, and a frozen expression on her face. Well. This was awkward.

"She's awake," Ino said, biting at her lip, and trying to hide a goofy grin. Trying, and failing. I saw a small smile spread across my mom's face.

"I can see that. I can also see that you decided to mack on her instead of coming to get me," Ino pouted.

"I miiiisssed her thooouuugh," She said hopping off my bed. My jaw hit the ground.

"Uhm, did I miss something here?" Ino shrugged.

"Me and your mom have had some bonding time." I grinned.

"I like that,"

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><p><strong>So this took me forever. And my knowledge of coma's and such is limited, but I tried. So hard. I really hope its good, because I love it. And I didn't edit it much because it's as long as an Indians beard. So. REVIEW. Kaythanks. Love. Love. And...yeah. Please omit my lackofedittingbecauseI'mlazy. And it's almost midnight. So. <strong>


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